Before she had finished seventh grade, Kami Kinard had written several books. Most people call these books diaries. Without the details garnered from these early works, The Boy Project might not have been born.

A former high school teacher, Kami currently writes from balmy, buggy, and beautiful Beaufort, SC where she lives with her husband and two children. You can visit her at www.kamikinard.com.

Wildly creative seventh grader, Kara McAllister, just had her best idea yet. She’s going to take notes on all of the boys in her grade (and a few elsewhere) in order to answer a seemingly simple question: How can she get a boyfriend? Kara’s project turns out to be a lot more complicated than she imagined. Soon there are secrets, lies, and an embarrassing incident in the boy’s bathroom. Plus, Kara has to deal with mean girls, her slightly spacey BFF, and some surprising uses for duct tape. Still, if Kara’s research leads her to the right boy, everything may just be worth it…

Could you tell us 5 random facts about yourself?

• My dog Harley has a Mohawk.
• I have my very own pinball machine.
• Growing up, I spent half of every summer at North Myrtle Beach where I walked to the pier to play pinball.
• There are several sculptures of fish in my house that were created from old surfboards.
• I love going to Arlo Guthrie concerts. I’m groovy like that. No I’m not. But I wish I was… for short periods of time, at least.

Why did you feel you had to tell this story?

I think there are a lot of girls out there who are like I was when I was in middle school – smart girls who are shy but they still want to know that someday they’ll have what their parents or grandparents have: someone who cares about them. I hope that readers will be able to relate to Kara and understand (if they don’t already) that these feelings are normal and they are not alone.

What was your favorite chapter/scene to write and why?

I like the scene where Kara receives an F+ for the lame science fair project she turned in. I thought an F+ would be funnier than an F, so Kara can go on a little rant about her grade: “What the heck’s an F+? Like that little plus sign is going to make failing any better. And F is an F is an F. This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. My parents are going to F-reak. It’ll be F-atal. I have ruined my F-uture!”

Your main character, Kara, is slightly boy crazy but she approaches finding a boyfriend in a scientific manner. How did Kara’s character develop for you as a writer? Kara has the same feelings I had as a tween, but I never acted on my feelings. Novels require action! So I had to find a way for Kara to act on her feelings in a way that also made her grow as a person. No one wants to read about a girl who does nothing to achieve her goals (even if that is the more frequent reality).

I love that the book is set in middle school rather than high school. How did you decide on writing a middle grade book as opposed to high school? Reading my middle school diaries helped inspire the book. Also, I had a son in middle school when I wrote it. I am very comfortable writing for a middle grade audience, so it made sense to set the novel in middle school.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? I took what I thought was the completed first chapter of a manuscript to a workshop with famed children’s editor Patti Leigh Gauch. After reading it she told me it was, “a good skeleton.” Ouch! But Patti was right and I’ve fleshed up that manuscript. It’s so much better now! What has been the best compliment? Once an agent said, “Your writing is so poetic. How did you learn to write this way?” I felt hugely complimented because I started out in children’s poetry. I love poetry! And I do try to use poetic elements in my fiction writing.

If you could have lunch with one of your characters who would it be and why? I’d like to have lunch with minor character Bebe Truelove to find out if she’s for real or not.

What character do you relate most to? Kara. I know her so well that there’s no need for me to go to lunch with her!

Do you have things you need in order to write ie. coffee, cupcakes, music? When I’m doing a stressful revision, I usually need a diet coke and a bag of Hot Tamales. Such an unhealthy combination!

What is easier to write: The first line or the last line? The first line is easy. I love writing first lines. I wrote the first line of this book at least two dozen times, but enjoyed it every time. I think they were all good, too! But the last line kills. I rewrote it four dozen times, hated doing it, and it wasn’t until I decided to wrap it up with a quote from Bebe Truelove that I liked it.

Places to find Kami and her work:

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